Retailers and manufacturers of small items, such as small hardware items, are constantly presented with the problem of properly displaying their goods on the shelf to the consumer. Because items such as picture hangers, screws and tacks are no longer sold in bulk or by weight, such items must be packaged in manageable quantities for sale to the consumer. Such packages are normally of a rectangular shape with a hole through the top and are displayed on a wire-type carrier, or display hook, that extends horizontally outward from a rear shelf wall.
Conventionally, the goods are contained within a clear plastic portion, known as the blister. The blister is mounted on a flat piece of cardboard or is bordered by a wide peripheral flange. Because the blister portion cannot be used for the display of trademarks and product information, the cardboard or flange bordering the blister must be large enough to display this information. Thus, much of the shelf space consumed by a blister package is attributable to the display of trademarks and other product information, not containing the products themselves. This is an inefficient use of shelf-space; retailers sell products, not packages and packaging information.
Because packaging small items in these blister-type packages is a relatively inefficient use of shelf space or area in today's highly competitive retail environment, retailers will crowd the horizontally extending display hooks together thereby creating a crowded shelf appearance and making it difficult for the consumer to discern one product from another. A manufacturer's products can be lost in the "sea" of competing products hanging on the numerous display hooks.
Thus, two competing concerns are present. Retailers are concerned with making the best use of their available shelf space and floor space; manufacturers are concerned with product appearance and product identity. Both retailers and manufacturers desire the entire shelf areas containing blister-type packages to have an attractive appearance. The present invention makes significant contributions to all of the above concerns. To appreciate the contributions made by the present invention to the blister package art, an understanding of the available blister packages and their shortcomings is necessary.
One conventional embodiment of a blister package includes a clear blister or product containing portion that is glued over a piece of cardboard. The product is contained within the space or chamber between the blister and the stiff cardboard backing. While these types of blister packages are the least expensive to manufacture, they are the most inefficient in terms of shelf space. Cardboard mounted blister packages take up too much shelf space because the blister portion containing the product is not available for labeling or product identification; it is too difficult and too expensive to put a label on the blister itself. Therefore, the stiff cardboard backing must extend significantly beyond the outer periphery of the blister portion to adequately identify the manufacturer, the product specifications and display any logos.
Other blister-type packages that are reclosable or reusable are also known. These types of blister packages are normally manufactured out of a single piece of clear plastic. The blister or product containing portion is integrally connected to the top or back member by a "living hinge" that joins the two parts. The package may be opened and closed repeatedly because at least one nesting surface on the product containing portion mates with a cooperating surface on the top portion allowing the package to close and open repeatedly. Because the top is not permanently sealed or glued to the product containing portion, the package may be reopened and reclosed. Thus, the consumer can use the package as a container for the small products at home without the need for transferring the products to a different container such as a cup or a jar. The reusable blister concept has been received very favorably and is used for a variety of products.
However, current reclosable blister packages do not satisfy the product presentation and shelf space concerns of manufacturers and retailers alike addressed above. Namely, the product is still contained in a clear blister bubble which dominates the appearance of the package. In order for a manufacturer to properly identify the product and display its logo, a large outer periphery must extend substantially beyond the blister portion. This large outer periphery wastes valuable shelf space. Thus, while the consumer has gained the benefits of a reusable package, the retailer's concern regarding wasted shelf space is largely unaddressed and the manufacturer still has little space on which to properly identify the product and display its logo.
Thus, there is a need for a new, improved reusable blister package that makes economical use of the retailer's limited shelf space and still provides the manufacturer adequate space to identify its product. This problem has been solved by the present invention.